Spartacus Astana Opera Tickets

Astana Opera, Nur-Sultan (Astana), Kazakhstan

All photos (8)

1 / 8

Available Dates: 6 - 7 May, 2026 (2 events)

Important Info

Type: Ballet

City: Nur-Sultan (Astana), Kazakhstan

Duration: 3h with 2 intervals

Acts: 3

Intervals: 2

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

Can I choose my seats?

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Cast

Performers

Choose the date to see the peformers

Creators

Composer: Aram Khachaturian

Librettist: Nikolai Volkov

Production Designer: Simon Virsaladze

Designer: Simon Virsaladze

Choreography: Yury Grigorovich

Librettist: Yury Grigorovich

Overview

Spartacus is a powerful heroic ballet at Astana Opera that tells the dramatic story of a gladiator who rises against tyranny in the name of freedom and love. Set to Aram Khachaturian’s monumental score, the ballet combines epic scale, emotional depth, and striking choreography.

Spartacus is one of the most monumental and emotionally charged ballets of the 20th century, presented on the grand stage of Astana Opera. Set in ancient Rome, the ballet tells the story of the legendary Thracian gladiator Spartacus, who leads a slave uprising against oppression and injustice.

At the heart of the drama lies the love between Spartacus and his devoted wife Phrygia, a symbol of hope, humanity, and spiritual strength. Opposing them is the cruel Roman general Crassus, embodying tyranny, power, and moral decay. Their conflict unfolds through intense dramatic scenes, mass ensembles, and deeply expressive pas de deux.

Aram Khachaturian’s iconic score gives the ballet its epic scale and emotional force, from triumphant marches to hauntingly lyrical adagios. The choreography emphasizes heroic male dance, sculptural group formations, and raw physical power, making Spartacus a landmark of dramatic ballet.

The Astana Opera production highlights the strength, precision, and artistry of the company, offering audiences a gripping theatrical experience that celebrates freedom, sacrifice, and the enduring power of the human spirit.

Fifty years ago, the Bolshoi Theater hosted the premiere of the ballet Aram Khachaturian by the Soviet composer Spartak staged by Yuri Grigorovich. By that time, Igor Moiseev and Leonid Yakobson had already presented their stage incarnations of this score. However, it was “Spartak” of Grigorovich that became the hallmark of the theater and the Soviet ballet as a whole.

History

Premiere of this production: 27 December 1956, Kirov Theatre, Leningrad

Spartacus is a ballet by Aram Khachaturian (1903–1978). The work follows the exploits of Spartacus, the leader of the slave uprising against the Romans known as the Third Servile War, although the ballet's storyline takes considerable liberties with the historical record.

Synopsis

Act I
The Roman consul Crassus returns to Rome from his latest conquests in a triumphal procession. Among his captives are the Thracian king Spartacus and his wife Phrygia. Spartacus laments his captivity and bids a bitter farewell to Phrygia, who is taken off to join Crassus’ harem of concubines. To entertain Crassus and his entourage, Spartacus is sent into the gladiatorial ring and is forced to kill a close friend. Horrified at his deed, Spartacus incites his fellow captives to rebellion.

Act II
The escaped captives celebrate their freedom. Meanwhile, Crassus entertains the Roman patricians with lavish entertainment. Spartacus and the other escaped captives disrupt the orgy and rescue the slave women, including Phrygia. Aegina insists that Crassus pursue the slave army immediately. The lovers celebrate their escape to the "Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia".

Act III
Aegina discovers Spartacus’s camp and observes the lovers emerging from their tent the next morning. Aegina sends word to Crassus, who sends his army in pursuit. Internecine struggles break out among Spartacus’s forces. Finally, Crassus’s forces discover Spartacus and impale him upon their spears. Spartacus’s closest followers recover his body and carry it off while Phrygia mourns her loss.

Venue Info

Astana Opera - Nur-Sultan (Astana)
st. D. Kunaeva, 1

The State Opera and Ballet Theatre “Astana Opera” was founded in 2013 on the initiative of the First President of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev. The largest theatre in Central Asia, Astana Opera is constructed according to the best classical architectural traditions. The technical capabilities of the theatre conform to international standards. The Main Hall is designed for 1250 seats, the Chamber Hall - for 250.

The repertoire of the Astana Opera House includes works by the renowned national composers, including the operas Birzhan – Sara by Tulebayev, Abai by Zhubanov and Khamidi, Kyz Zhibek by Brusilovsky, along with the ballet Karagoz to the music of Zhubanova. The world classics presented at the Astana Opera include operas such as Verdi’s Aida, La traviata and Don Carlos, Puccini’s La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot, Bizet’s Carmen, Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia and operatic farsa comica La scala di seta, and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin; ballets such as Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, Khachaturian’s Spartacus, Asafyev’s The Fountain of Bakhchisarai, Minkus’s La Bayadère and Don Quixote, and Adam’s Le Corsaire and Giselle, Delibes’ Coppélia; productions such as Fokine’s Chopiniana and Scheherazade, Eifman’s Rodin, Petit’s Notre-Dame de Paris, MacMillan’s Manon, etc.

Principal Conductor is Alan Buribayev; Artistic Director of the Ballet Company is Altynai Asylmuratova.

Celebrated foreign and Kazakhstani artists who have staged performances include Franco Zeffirelli, Yury Grigorovich, Boris Eifman, Giancarlo del Monaco, Alan Buribayev and others; with the participation of set designer Ezio Frigerio and costume designer Franca Squarciapino.

Along with the famed Kazakhstani artists such as Bibigul Tulegenova, Alibek Dnishev, Aiman Mussakhajayeva, Nurzhamal Ussenbayeva and others, the world-famous stars appeared on the stage of the Astana Opera House, including Plácido Domingo, Zubin Mehta, Elena Obraztsova, Valery Gergiev, José Carreras, Anna Netrebko, Marcelo Álvarez, Svetlana Zakharova, Ildar Abdrazakov...

The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Teatro di San Carlo di Naples, the Genoese Teatro Carlo Felice, the Opéra National de Paris, the St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre and others have performed on tour at the Astana Opera.

As part of the EXPO-2017, the 25th Plácido Domingo's Operalia took place at the Astana Opera House.

In 2014, the Astana Opera went on the world tour (New York - Toronto - Paris - Antwerpen - Rotterdam); and additionally, the theatre had tours at the Royal Opera House Muscat (Oman), Graz Opera (Austria); Mariinsky Theater (Russia), Theatro Municipal (Brazil), Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Italy), Teatro Carlo Felice (Italy), Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia (Valencia, Spain) and other theatres. In September, the Astana Opera is going to perform at the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia.

The Astana Opera House received two awards: the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of literature and art for staging the opera Abai by A.Zhubanov and L.Khamidi (2018) and the International Professional Music BraVo Award in the field of classical art, in which the Astana Opera became the leader in the category “The Concert / Theatre Venue of the Year” (Moscow, the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, 2019).